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Events in and around the Iron Mountain Inn Bed & Breakfast, plus the Creekside Chalet

There are a wide variety of activities and events to attend in the Tri-State area. From Blowing Rock, North Carolina to Bristol, Virginia and every place in between you will find your fill of fun or relaxation. Call ahead and Vikki will be happy to help you build an itinerary.

See my online calendar for important dates.

Outdoors

Horseback Riding and Hay Rides

Right next door! Dogwood Springs Ranch. One-hour guided mountain trail rides or for the youngsters, pony rides in the paddock. Open everyday.

Or gather a group of friends and family for a jolly hayride! There are also scheduled hay rides throughout the year. Call for a schedule.

Directions: Come to the Inn, settle in, put on your riding clothes (hard shoes and long pants preferred), and right next door you will find the perfect horse for you.

Boat rentals on Watauga Lake

Fish Springs Marina is a full service boat rental and slip rental business.

Rent a pontoon boat (anyone can drive one) and enjoy a picnic in the middle of the lake floating gently along, or pull up in one of the coves or islands and explore. Call Tom at 423-768-2336 to reserve your day on the water.

Jump off the side of the boat and enjoy a refreshing swim in Watauga, the third cleanest lake in the US.

Virginia Creeper Biking/Hiking Trail

The Bike Station in Damascus, VA will take you to Whitetop Station for an exciting downhill ride on the 34-mile Virginia Creeper Trail - a Rails to Trails conversion. Shuttles available for your own bikes, too. Reserve at www.thebike-station.com

Or, if you have your own bike, let us take you to Damascus where we will leave your car, while we take you into Abingdon. Explore this charming 18th century town, enjoy lunch at the Starving Artist restaurant, or take in a matinee at the Barter Theatre, then ride back to your car on the 17 mile section of the Virginia Creeper Trail which starts at the old railroad station.

Fly Fishing Trips - Float or Wade

Fly fish for trout, smallmouth bass, muskellunge and others in the pristine waters of Watauga River or Lake. Also enjoy fishing the South Holston, the New or Nolichucky Rivers and back country streams known only to your certified guide. Mike Adams (www.adamsflyfishing.com) knows some of best
catch and release fishing which means bigger fish and better fishing.

So come, let us help you discover the "most challenging, interesting and abundant fishing found anywhere".

Mountain Golfing

Enjoy 18 holes of golf on one of the country's most beautiful golf courses. Red Tail Mountain. Sam Adams, pro, offers a challenging course where the ball flies forever. Tournaments throughout the season (March-November depending on the weather).
And if you want other course suggestions, just give us a call. There are many fine courses in the area that welcome guests from "away".

New River Canoe/Tubing Adventures

Canoe the New River with New River Outfitters, Jefferson, NC. Short or long trips allow you to enjoy America's first historic river by kayak, tubing or canoe. Call for reservations and pick-up locations. 800-982-9190

The Appalachian Angler, Fly Shop and Guide Service

For float-in or wade-in fishing excursions, give these experienced guides a call at 828-963-5050 Or, if you just need some new fishing equipment, call the Fly Shop at 828-963-8383

Other

Festival of Lights

From November through the first of the year, the Bristol Motor Speedway is a blaze of millions of lights in hundreds of static and moving displays! Why, there is even a light showing how a car races down the drag strip!

Ice skating and hot chocolate after you drive around the track and the grounds being amazed at the light displays.

Don't miss this once a year event for the entire family.

Helicopter Tour of the Mountains, Lakes and Forests

Experience our mountains, lakes and streams from a bird's eye view. Call 423-727-0129 or reserve by email: flyetair@preferred.com. An experience of a lifetime.

Bristol Motor Speedway

Featuring the NASCAR Busch Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and other events.

The Speedway also offers tours of the track (it is steeply banked!!) by bus and explains some of the back stage aspects of the track. Visit the box of the owner of the Speedway! See the Drag Strip!

Historical

Rocky Mount Living History Museum

Come experience the daily life of a frontier family in December 1791. On the first three weekends in December, the Cobb Family is awaiting the arrival of the Governor of the colony. Costumed interpreters invite you to enjoy the holiday preparations and excitement as they prepare the food and homes for this important visitor. Tours are by lantern light - and there is a surprise or two!

Overmountain Victory Trail Association

The Overmountain Victory Trail Assn preserves the route and the story of the volunteer army whose victory at the Battle of King's Mountain was a turning point in the Revolutionary War.

Each September for two weeks, reenactors march along the route of the Overmountain Men, camping at Sycamore Shoals State Park in Elizabethton where visitors are welcome to join them. It is a great experience for families to see what life was like on the frontier in the fall.

There are also other reenactments throughout the year at Sycamore Shoals. Check out the website for more information.

The Wataugans Outdoor Drama

For the last three weekends in July, Sycamore Shoals is the site of the official Tennessee Outdoor Drama, "The Wataugans". Telling the story of those brave pioneers who settled these mountains; creating homes, raising families and clearing the land all the while watching out for marauding indians and then the British.

Come and experience the excitement and drama of life in the wilderness.

Throughout the year there are various exhibits at Sycamore Shoals and there is a short movie about the OverMountain Men who gathered here to plan the attack on Kings Mountain, a decisive battle of the Revolutionary War.

Cultural

Paramount Theater Schedule of Events

The Paramount is worth a visit just to see the refurbished "golden age" theater. But they have programs from Montevani to Doc Watson and Vicki Lawrence as Momma. Please check their website for the latest entertainments and to purchase tickets as most of the programs sell out.

Heritage Hall Performance Center

Heritage Hall is the Johnson County Performance Center where local, national and international talent performs. Check the website for a list of upcoming programs and events scheduled at the Hall from now until May 2006!

Join us for an afternoon or evening of entertainment for the whole family.

Virginia Highlands Festival

2 weeks of arts, crafts, music, theater and lots more fun! Return again and again for the first two weeks in August. Then nothing till next year!

National Story Telling Festival

Story Tellers from Around the World gather every year in Jonesborough, TN, "the oldest town in Tennessee" the first weekend in October and delight their audiences with stories old and new.

Or perhaps you would like to register and tell your stories on the Town Square? That's possible too!

Or maybe you'd just like to stroll from tent to tent hearing hundreds of stories - one here, one there until the evening of ghost stories! And, for those "of a certain age", there is the midnight caberet.

This is one of the best festivals I have ever attended! But book early, as rooms go fast - over 30,000 people attend each year!

www.storytellingfestival.com

Barter Theater

Barter Theatre, the State Theater of Virginia, performs classics, musicals and unique shows on the Main Stage or the Stage II in Abingdon, VA. Barter is just a short beautiful drive from the Iron Mountain Inn through the mountains.

Gregory Peck, Ernest Borgnine, Kevin Spacey and Patricia O'Neal all were members of the Barter Company at the start of their careers. Who knows, one of the performers you see may become a super star and you can say "I saw him/her beginning their career".

Check their website www.bartertheatre.com for upcoming plays!

Appalachian Summer Festival

Music, Dance, Art exhibits, Wine tastings, something for everyone in the mountains in July. Check out the program and order your tickets. Many events sell out in advance.

Book your room(s) at the Inn to combine outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, golfing, etc. with evenings of North Carolina Symphony, PDQ Bach, Chicago Dance Company and lectures on contemporary art.

Call or check their website for the programs in July

Children's Activities

Sycamore Shoals State Park

Reenactments of Revolutionary War times.
Cherokee Indian encampments.
Camp and march with the Overmountain Men in September
as they plan the assult on Kings Mountain.
Quilt and art exhibits
The Wataugans - an outdoor drama the last three weekends in July.
Tells the story of the settling of the First Frontier and the battles
with the Indians

Choose and Cut a Christmas Tree

Start a family tradition. Choose and Cut the perfect Christmas Tree from one of the nearby Christmas Tree Farms. Start the visit with dinner in front of the wood burning fireplace. Get a good night's rest before tackling a hearty breakfast to sustain you for the day's activities. Saw at the ready, it's time to begin the search for this year's Perfect Tree! Once you've found it, bring it back to the Inn where we will keep it fresh in water. Then enjoy a fondue supper sharing tales of finding the Perfect Tree. After supper, gather round to make natural decorations for this tree from paper, cranberries and popcorn, pine cones and whatever other "goodies" you have found to use.
Breakfast the next morning, the tree tied to your car and it's home to set it up with lights and tinsels and the wonderful decorations you've made.

Restaurants

Farm House Restaurant

High atop the mountain, a dining delight awaits! Gracious dining, excellent cuisine and singing waiters make for a very special evening. In the summers and some weekends, all dinner patrons are treated to a cabaret performance to end the evening. Standards, show tunes and other shows are toe tapping and "sing along" evenings.

Reservations suggested on weekends 423-727-2726.

Suba's Restaurant

The owners are graduates of Johnson and Wales Culinary School. Keeping the restaurant small allows them to prepare superb food one patron at a time - no fast food here! Continental cuisine is their speciality, but save room for LeeAnn's pies and cakes! For reservations call 423-727-5657.

Carolines - A Dining Experience

Visit their website for mouth-watering menus. A top notch place to eat before attending a Barter Theater performance